Useful Classroom Finds {A Wish List For New and Not So New Teachers}

So, I have some exciting news. Next year I will be moving to a brand new school! As in, the school itself is brand new! Moving to a new school, and into a new classroom, means that I have been collecting ideas and creating a classroom wish list. I mean, can you blame me?

I thought it would be fun share my current wish list with you. Whether you're a teacher who is just starting out, a teacher who will be returning to the same school, or you find that you're in the same boat as me, you may just find something to add to your own wish list. ;)

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Guided Reading Supplies
My new classroom will be bigger than what I'm used to (I may be over here doing the happy dance). The past 13 years I've been squished into a 400 square foot classroom with 22+ students. The extra space means that I will actually have a reading group table! No more kicking students out of their desks so that we can use a table group as a reading table.

Last year, I used the Ikea 3-tier rolling cart to hold my guided reading materials. Confession: I wasn't a huge fan. It didn't hold as much as I would have liked, and that sucker was super hard to push from point A to point B. This year, I'm thinking that I might want to switch things up and get a 10-drawer rolling cart. I have one at home. It rolls great. And, I can neatly tuck things into each drawer. I hate looking at clutter. They sell these at Michaels, but you can also find it HERE on Amazon.

I'm also thinking about using these wall pop dry erase decals to put on the table. Students can use these dots to respond to their reading, work with vocabulary, and so on. They come in various colors, but the gray, blue and green will match my new space perfectly. If you've used these, please share your experience with them in the comments. I'd love to know how they worked for you.

General Storage
I like to set out activities for my fast finishers to work on. I've never really had a super cohesive means of putting these materials out, but I'm thinking that next year is as good as any to get these things organized. These drawers from Sterlite are perfect! They are the wider sized drawers. Amazon sells a three pack HERE. I haven't priced them at Walmart or Target, but I'm sure you could buy them individually there as well.

These drawers could easily be filled with directed drawings, one page crafts, dot to dots, etc. Psst, From the Pond has some great directed drawings and one page crafts. I also put out things like wrap ups, addition/subtraction machines, and more! You can read more about fast finisher ideas HERE.

These teal bins would be perfect for organizing my materials for each day of the week. I used to have the rainbow colored set from Lakeshore, but I passed it on to a fellow teacher. I need my bins to match my classroom. #notsorry This set from Storex is priced right (and the reviews aren't bad either)!

General Supplies
I've always wanted a paper cutter for my classroom. I never took the plunge into purchasing one because two of my neighbors each had one. But, I won't be neighbors with those sweet ladies anymore, so I'm definitely adding a personal paper cutter to my wish list for next year. The reason I want one is because my new school is huge. HUGE. Walking down to the workroom will be a bit of an ordeal. Dramatic? Maybe. But seriously, sometimes I just have a few things to cut/trim and hiking to the other side of the ginormous building might not always be the best use of my time.

So, with that said, I'm thinking I'd like to get this Westcott cutter. My friend has this one, and it works great!

This next item is a bit of a fluffy find. I mean, I'm not sure that it's necessary to have a crayon sharpener but I think it would be useful. It drives me crazy when crayons go flat, making it hard for students to color neatly. Maybe this would help with that. I might ask Santa to bring me this one. Hehe.

Flex Seating
Since I will have extra space, I am looking at bringing in some flex seating options. I do not plan to go full on flexible seating, but I like the idea of having options available. Now that I will have space for kids to really spread out, I would love to make a few of these options available to my students.

These wobble cushions can be placed on the floor, or on top of a chair. I think they'll be a good option as I start out with alternative seating options.

I'm hoping to lower one of the tables in my new room. Fingers crossed this dream becomes a reality. These knee pads would be great for kids using that table.

I would also like to add some yoga mats and camping chairs. Walmart has some great prices on those items.

With kids working on the carpet, I think it would be a good idea to have clipboards available. This set on Amazon is on my wish list, and it's priced just right!

There you have it friends, a peek at all the things I would really, really, really love to add to my classroom next year.

What would you add to the list? Share your ideas in the comments below. We'd love to know about other useful finds!

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For more fun finds including picture book recommendations, PD book recommendations, and more, click HERE.

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5 comments:

I use the wall pops on my guided reading table! I love them! However they don’t last a full year cause they start peeling or bubbling. This year they lasted longer because I’m constantly on the look out for kids picking at the sides and tell them to stop!

You could buy dry-erase contact paper (in the shelf liner section @Walmart) and cover the back of one of the clipboards with it! Also, Dollar Tree sells almost the exact same clipboards for $1 each. That would give you dry erase clip-boards on the cheap! :)